Upward and Onward

They still didn’t get it. Even after all this time. Even though Jesus had been with them for years. Even though Jesus had taught them and trained them and showed them the way. Even though Jesus had been raised from the dead. Even though Jesus was resurrected from the grave and spent another 40 days giving them instructions. Despite ALL that Christ had done, the disciples still did not understand. They did not understand  – or perhaps they just refused to accept – that “their political aspirations were not Jesus’ primary agenda.”[i] Being a national hero was not Jesus’ primary goal. Jesus came to do God’s work. He came to fulfill God’s purposes. (Luke 24:44-48)

And the disciples were cool with that. In fact, they were totally on board with that plan. Jesus was the Savior that God had promised. “Excellent! We’re with you, brother. Just like Moses, you have come to rescue our people. You are going to overthrow the evil powers that rule over us, and you are going to be the new king of Israel. Sounds great! We thought you were going to take over the throne when you rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. Kind of surprised us when you got arrested instead. And it sure looked hopeless when they hung you on a cross. But, hey, you are with us now! And you’re talking again about the coming of the kingdom. Sounds great! When is it going to happen? When are you going to take over? When are you going to restore Israel to greatness? When will we be the ones with the power?”

Jesus told them bluntly, “That is not your concern. It is not for you to know WHEN God’s kingdom will be established on earth. That is God’s business. You’ve got your own business to tend to.”

The people of Israel had always been a bit narrow-minded. They forgot that God’s promise to Abram was that all people would be blessed through Abram. He would be blessed so that he could bless others. (Genesis 12) And Isaiah had told them that the temple of Israel was supposed to be a temple for ALL nations (2:2).  “[The people of Israel] were passionate about being God’s people in God’s land but often neglected God’s mission and justice.”[ii]

No more, Jesus said. “You are going to receive power all right. The power you will receive is the Holy Spirit. And when you are filled with the Spirit of God, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all over Judea and Samaria…. In fact, you will be telling people about me all the way to the ends of the earth.”

And then he was gone. Jesus gave his followers a glorious vision of the future, and told them to get to work. And then he was lifted up into the heavens. And the disciples just stood there with their mouths hanging open. Ironically, many Christians today spend all their time looking up to heaven, waiting for Christ’s return. But the message of the angels is clear: Why are you standing there gazing up into sky? Look out at the world. There’s a LOT of work to be done!

According to a recent article by the Associated Press, Memphis is one of the poorest big cities in the United States and one of the most violent. Last year, 228 homicides were reported, and, so far this year, there have been another 84 killings. In fact, the overall crime rate in Memphis is 7 percent higher this year than last, but the number of police officers has dropped.[iii]

Clearly, there is still a lot of kingdom building work to be done right here in Memphis. But where do we begin? How do you figure out what God is calling you to do next?

The first step is prayer. Before you do anything else, take time to pray. What else can you do when your leader is taken up into heaven right before your very eyes? What else can you do when the bottom falls out of your world? What can any of us do when our foundational relationships disappear? Or when the wind and waves blow our lives away in an instant? “Before Christ’s followers could advance they would have to retreat, to an upper room, for prayer and empowerment.”[iv]

They say there is a shrine in the French Pyrenees where people go to pray for healing. A war veteran who had lost a leg appeared at the shrine sometime after World War II. As he hobbled his way alone the street to the shrine, someone said, “Look at that silly man! Does he think God is going to give him back his leg?” The young man overheard the remark and turned toward the speaker and said, “Of course I do not expect God to give me back my leg. I am going to pray to God to help me live without it!”[v]

The veteran knew that he needed to spend time in prayer, gaining strength and insight, before going on to face this new stage of his life. The disciples also needed to spend time in prayer before going on to face a new stage in their lives. But that time of prayer would soon be followed by action. Disciples of Jesus Christ do not stand around, gazing at the sky, hoping that God will come and deliver them from their circumstances. Instead, they pray for guidance and power and then they go forth, full of the Spirit, to do God’s work.

Sometimes people think it is the pastor’s job to do the work of the Church, and all the members have to do is write checks. But that’s not true. Everyone who claims to follow Christ is called to share his love everywhere they go. And there are a lot of ways to do that.

Lou and Dottie Riedlinger were serving as greeters at their church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when they realized that their congregation was reaching out to a lot of different people, but not to veterans.[vi] So Lou, an 82-year-old veteran of World War II and the Korean War, and his wife started an Armed Services Support Ministry. They started by raising money to purchase phone cards for the troops. In four years, they raised $11,000, which was enough to purchase 2300 phone cards. Then they turned their efforts toward a nearby veterans’ hospital. In addition to collecting underwear, socks, chewing gum, and crossword puzzle books for the patients, Lou and Dottie organized a group to make lap blankets for patients who are confined to wheelchairs. Others make cards, which Lou delivered to the hospital.

There are countless ways to be a witness for Jesus Christ. This church is a witness when we give to the Lenten World Hunger Offering, to Grace Place, and to Congo Women Arise. We are a witness when we participate in the Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast and read to toddlers at LaPetite Academy. You are a witness every day at school and on the job when you obey your teachers or boss and work hard and do your best. You are a witness when you play fair on the golf course, in the board room, or at the dinner table. You are a witness to the kingdom of God when you take up special offerings for flood victims and give to Golden Cross. You are learning to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ when you attend Sunday School and mid-week Bible study. You are a witness when you invite friends to come with you to church, to First Sunday Lunch, or to Trunk or Treat.

There are countless ways to be a witness for Jesus Christ, so let’s pray for discernment and open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit because it will take all of our creativity, all of our hard work, and every bit of power we’ve got to take the Good News to every home, every school, every neighborhood, all around the world. We can’t just stand there looking up at the sky. We’ve got a lot of work to do.

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[i] “Preaching Helps for May 5, 2005—Ascension Day, Years A, B & C” was developed by the staff of the Center for Worship Resourcing of the General Board of Discipleship and is published on the GBOD website at www.gbod.org/worship/preaching/articles. Posted April 11, 2005. Downloaded May 7, 2005.

[ii] “Abandonment? No Way!” a sermon on Homiletics Online. Author not named. Downloaded May 11, 2013.

[iii] Crime statistics were reported in “Attorney general warns gang members: ‘We’re targeting you’” by Adrian Sainz. Published May 25, 2017 by the Associated Press. Posted online at https://www.yahoo.com/news/attorney-general-address-violent-crime-tennessee-visit-082808057.html. Accessed May 27, 2017.

[iv] “Preaching Helps for May 8, 2005—Seventh Sunday of Easter/Ascension Sunday, Year A” was developed by the staff of the Center for Worship Resourcing of the General Board of Discipleship and is published on the GBOD website at www.gbod.org/worship. Posted April 14, 2005. Downloaded May 7, 2005.

[v] “The Proper Focus of Prayer.” Illustrations Unlimited. James S. Hewett, editor. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1988. P. 421.

[vi] The story of Lou Riedlinger is told in “Veteran Dedicated to Vets,” which is a video that was produced by the United Methodist News Service and published on their website at www.umc.org/news-and-media/umtv-veteran-dedicated-to-vets on April 15, 2013. Accessed May 27, 2017.

Why Church?

Ask any young person why they do not attend church, and they are likely to tell you that they don’t see the point. According to a the Barna Research Group, 30% of all millennials believe church is not important. Either they believe they can find God elsewhere, or they think church simply is not relevant to their lives.[i]

But this week after 7 tornadoes ripped across East Texas, killing four people, injuring dozens more and causing untold property damage, United Methodists showed up with cleaning kits, tarps, lumber and screws to shore up damaged buildings.

And in Zimbabwe, erratic rains and successive droughts have hit the country hard, and the prison farms have not produced enough food to properly feed all the inmates. So the UMC has donated more than $1,300 worth of food to female inmates at Chikurubi Prison. But the Church is giving more than money. They also plan to start a Holistic Horticultural Training Program for the female inmates so they can learn new skills and hopefully, in time, rejoin society and live as law-abiding citizens.[ii]

In Pearsall, Texas, the Rev. Liliana Padilla is cooking up breakfast tacos every Sunday morning for neighbors who don’t usually attend worship. Everyone who comes gets free tacos (or oatmeal and pancakes, if they prefer) as well as a devotional message, Bible study and prayer. And that’s all before the regular worship service at 11 am.

And right here in Shelby County, Heartsong Church welcomed members of the Memphis Islamic Center into the sanctuary for nightly prayer services back in 2010 because construction had not yet been completed on the new mosque. Seven years later, the two faith communities are launching a new joint venture known as Friendship Park, where they hope people will come together and build friendships that cross the lines of ethnicity, religion, race and gender.

Capleville UMC just hosted a job fair for recent high school grads and unemployed adults. And, this summer, our very own UMW is bringing a mobile mammography unit right here to Windyke because lack of access is one of the primary reasons that women do not get screened for breast cancer.

How’s that for relevant?

More and more, UM churches are taking an active role in society. In fact, in 2008, our denomination adopted an initiative called the Four Areas of Focus, which encourages every congregation to engage in ministry with the poor; improve global health; develop principled Christian leaders; and create new and renewed congregations.[iii]

“This is not just a program,” says Christian Alstead, bishop of the Nordic-Baltic Area. “This is our way of being as United Methodists.”

And the Council of Bishops, which met last week in Dallas, is urging every congregation to stay focused on that mission. “The church needs us to be accountable to the mission and ministries that transform lives for Jesus, our risen Christ,” Bishop L. Jonathan Holston of the South Carolina Conference said in his address to the council.

Alstead agrees. “…one of the ways of keeping unity is to remain focused in mission.”

It certainly worked for the very first followers of Christ. Acts 2:42 tells us that the very first converts to the Christian faith were very focused in their work. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

They knew what they were about. They had a purpose. A reason for being. And that held them together. In fact, it drew them together. They had a deep longing to know more about Jesus. And, since he had ascended to the Father, the only way the new converts could learn about Jesus was to spend time with his apostles. They were the ones who had heard Jesus’ sermons. They were the ones who had spent the most time with him. They knew what he believed and how he behaved. They were the ones Jesus had trained. Jesus had called them and trained them to carry on his ministry. His spirit was with them.

So, if you wanted to know Jesus, the best way was to spend time with his people. And so that’s what the new converts did. Acts tells us that they were all together, and they shared everything. They were so committed to the way of Christ that they sold their possessions and gave it all to the community. No one made them do it. God did not command it. They wanted to. They were so full of love for God that they did not hold anything back. They gave God all they had. And that commitment carried over to their relationships with one another. They gave God all they had, and they gave each other all they had. If anyone, anyone in the group, had a need, the others met the need. They wanted to help, and they did help.

That commitment grew as they spent time together. They worked together. They worshiped together. And they ate together. And when they gathered, they praised God and shared the stories of Jesus.

And it’s no surprise, really, that much of that worship took place around a table. In the Jewish tradition, “when the blessing is said at the table, the table becomes a holy place and eating together a sacred activity.”[iv]

It is certainly a place where bonds are formed. Yesterday, as we gathered together for pancakes, I watched as friends swapped war stories and women mobilized themselves for ministry and children played, and together we all worked to create a safe place where young men can gather and be molded into leaders.

That’s why we gather. That’s why we come together as a community. That’s why we need church.

“We learn to live by living together with others….”[v] Sure, we can encounter God anywhere. The Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, is not confined to the four walls of this or ANY building. But being a disciple of Jesus Christ is more than a one-time encounter with God. It is following Jesus. It is knowing him and following him day by day.

And Jesus laid down his life for us. He gave up everything for us. So, if we are truly following him, we will lay down our lives for one another. (1 John 3:16)

That is the paradox that Thomas Merton speaks of in his book No Man Is An Island: “We become ourselves by dying to ourselves. We gain only what we give up, and if we give up everything we gain everything.”[vi]

That’s probably the real reason why more people do not attend church. Because dying to self is not the most comfortable or convenient or common way to live. We would much rather live for ourselves. Do what we want, when we want to. But following Christ means dying to self and living for others. And, Lord knows, that is hard work.

It is hard work because, as Merton notes, we all have weaknesses and deficiencies. None of us is perfect. And we are all so very different. But that is exactly why we need each other.

“It is because of [our weaknesses AND our differences] that we need others and others need us. We are not all weak in the same spots, and so we supplement and complete one another, each one making up in himself for the lack in another.”[vii]

In his first letter to the Corinthians, The apostle Paul described the church as a body, with every member serving a different function. Merton says that, because we are all members of Christ, “What I do is also done for them and with them and by them. What they do is done in me and by me and for me.”[viii]

That, of course, is where things get tricky, because, as John Wesley once observed, we do not all think alike, and we do not all walk alike. But he was convinced that we CAN love alike. We can all love God, and we can all love one another. And we can encourage one another to be more loving and to do good works.[ix]

Where we disagree, Wesley encouraged people to hold fast to their beliefs but with the knowledge that none of us are perfect and we might in fact discover some day that we were not always right. And "they" were not always wrong. Peter, Andrew and Paul himself made their fair share of mistakes, but Jesus, the Good Shepherd, did not give up on them. He loved them. He truly loved them. He loved them with a love that is looooong suffering. He was incredibly patient. And kind. And faithful. He never stopped praying for them or teaching them or encouraging them. He pushed them to be better. To love more and give more.

And we are called to do the same.

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[i] “What Millennials Want When They Visit Church” was published March 4, 2015 at www.barna.com/research. Downloaded May 6, 2017.

[ii] Kudzai Chingwe. “Church in Zimbabwe donates food for female prisoners.” Published May 3, 2017 on The United Methodist Church website at www.umc.org/news-and-media. Downloaded May 6, 2017.

[iii] The information on the Four Areas of Focus and last week’s meeting of the Council of Bishops was written by Sam Hodges. “Keeping focused on Four Areas of Focus” was published May 3, 2017, on The UMC website at www.umc.org/news. Downloaded May 6, 2017.

[iv] Wiliam H. Willimon. Interpretation: Acts. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1988. 41.

[v] Thomas Merton. No Man Is an Island. New York: Harvest/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1955. XII.

[vi] Merton, XVI-XVII.

[vii] Merton, XXI.

[viii] Merton, XXII.

[ix] Wesley, 93.

Gone Fishing

The Church has left the building.

Literally. All over the country, churches are bypassing the pews and taking the gospel out into the streets. And into parks. And schools. And coffee houses. Wherever they might find a crowd. They have gone fishing.

Actually, Jeffrey St. Clair has gone kayaking. The pastor of Mandarin UMC in Jacksonville, Fla., loves the sport, but kept being put on waiting lists for kayaking trips. So he started his own group. On Saturdays, groups of 35-70 join him for an adventure in the water. They begin with prayer, scripture and a brief message and then head out to see fish, eagles, dolphins and sunsets. And along the way, they talk. About life and faith. ("Kayaking with Jeff" by Christine Kumar was published in Interpreter Magazine January-February 2017)

And Kingswood UMC in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, has gone online. About three years ago, Chris Spaeth was prepping for the annual church rummage sale, and she invited a community group of disabled adults to help. Their presence touched many hearts. So Spaeth decided to expand the project. Instead of opening a thrift store, donated items are stored in a trailer on church property and offered for sale online. Proceeds are being used to provide job training skills in computers, retail and marketing to people with disabilities, to people who are unemployed, and to immigrants. ( "New Online Thrift Store Offers Bargains and Jobs" by Anne Marie Gerhardt was published on the Northern Illinois Conference website in August 2012 at https://www.umcnic.org/new-online-thrift-store-offers-bargains-and-jobs/)

And Urban Village Church in Chicago has gone to street corners. For several years, that congregation has celebrated Ash Wednesday by taking six teams of three or four people to public places across town. Throughout the day, they mark crosses of ashes on the foreheads of passersby who otherwise might not have worshipped that day. The Rev. Brittany Isaac says, “We were having conversations with folks that we wouldn’t get to have if we stayed inside the church. One woman, a single parent, was struggling with elderly parents. The burden that she was carrying she would never have gone to a church to talk about.” But she received the ashes while she was out doing her usual business. Then she came back and brought her elementary-aged kids, and they received ashes, too. ("Ash Wednesday-Takin' It to the Streets" was published in Interpreter Magazine 2012)

“Follow me,” Jesus says. “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”

Mission and evangelism, that’s what the church is all about. Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. That is our whole reason for being. But sometimes we make mission and evangelism seem so much harder than they really are. We act as if only very special people can do God’s work. But that’s not true. Jesus calls US. Jesus calls all of us. Sometimes we think we don’t have anything to give. No special talent or great wisdom or much money. “I’m nothing special,” we say to ourselves. “I’m no evangelist. God can’t use me.”

But when Jesus started his ministry, he did not call the prettiest or the smartest or the richest. He called the people who were THERE. He called the people who were there. Jesus was walking beside the sea, and he saw fishermen on the docks. So Jesus called fishermen. He called rough, stinky, uneducated fishermen. He said, “Hey guys, you wanna come with me?”

There is NO special qualification to be a disciple. You do not have to have a college degree. You do not have to have years of Bible learning. You do not have to be particularly holy or good or special. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, all you have to do is follow. Did you hear that? To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, all you have to do is follow Jesus. All you have to do is get up off your seat and on your feet and go where Jesus leads you. And, sure, that might lead you to Timbuktu, but it might just take you to the nearest convenience store. Or to the bowling alley. Or to the place where you get your nails done. And you were already headed there anyway. Right? Mission is not about where you go. It is about who you follow. It is about your willingness to follow. It is about your willingness to follow Jesus and do what he wants you to do.

When Jesus started his ministry, he called a bunch of fishermen. And you know what he asked them to do? Fish. Fish! Jesus asked fishermen to fish. Jesus asked the people who were THERE to do what they ALREADY knew how to do. Jesus asked the people who were AVAILABLE to do what they were already GOOD at. The only difference is that Jesus asked them to come and do it WITH him. Jesus gave them a REASON to fish. Jesus gave them a PURPOSE.

I started seminary KNOWING that I was called to ministry, but I really was not sure what KIND of ministry God was calling me to do. I thought it might be youth ministry. Or counseling. I really was not sure. I just knew that God was calling. But one Easter morning, we were sitting in worship, and a brass ensemble was playing, and everybody was singing, and my heart was filled with joy. And suddenly, I KNEW! I LOVE worship. I love everything about worship. The music. The people. The scripture. Even a sermon. I love to hear a good sermon. Just like that, I knew what I was called to do. I was called to do the thing I loved most to do. For me, that was worship.

God called me to preach. God called me to share the good news of Jesus Christ. And, yes, part of that call is to share God’s word with you, to build up the body of believers. But part of that call is also to the world. To take the good news to those who have not heard it yet.

But I am not the only one who is called to share the gospel. EVERY Christian is called to follow Jesus. And EVERY Christian is called to share God’s love. But there are so many ways to do that.

Rod Pierce knows how to take good care of his dog, Snickers. So when the company he works for downsized and Pierce took a big pay cut, he worried about being able to take care of Snickers. Pierce was able to work it out, but the experience led him to wonder how OTHER pet owners provide for THEIR animals when money is tight. He shared his concern with the youth of his church, and they decided to host a Pets in Poverty Fair right there at St. Andrew UMC in Toledo, OH. The church collected more than 3,500 pounds of dog, cat and other animal food. They also offered information about good pet care. And they even provided medical care for wounded animals. The food and cash they raised went to a local animal shelter. ("Caring for Pets - and Their Owners" was published in Interpreter Magazine 2012)

The people of St. Andrew UMC have gone fishing. They know pets. They love pets. They are good at taking care of pets. So they are taking what they know and sharing it with others in the name of Jesus Christ.

The church has left the building. They have gone fishing.

Folks, it is time for St. Mark’s to bait some hooks. It is time for us to go fishing. We have been so blessed. God has poured out love on us for years! And God expects us to share that love with others. And we do that, in lots of ways. Supporting the food pantry at Capleville. Welcome baskets for Golden Cross. Reading team at LaPetite Academy. We have opened our doors to a Boy Scout troop and Cub Scout pack. Hosted the community Easter Egg Hunt and Trunk or Treat. And that’s good. It’s REALLY good. And I am very proud of you and all that you do for others. But I think we can do more. I’d like to see us get more involved with the people in our community. That doesn’t mean that I think we need more programs. Everybody has ENOUGH to do. What we have is good, and it’s working. We have planted a lot of seeds. But now it’s time for us to find ways to tend the seeds we have planted.

The Scouts have been meeting here for years now. Do we know any of their names? Do we know where they go to school? Or what their dreams are for the future? So… what if we formed a Scout adoption program? Each of us gets the name of one of our Scouts and starts to pray for him, maybe get him a pack of beef jerky for his next camping trip, send him a note of encouragement every now and then? What if we invited the Scouts and their fathers to come to the UM Men dinners? What if we hosted a Father-Scout picnic in June?

These are just ideas. Some possibilities for us to consider. There is no shortage of need. The potential for ministry right here in Windyke is astronomical. There’s a whole world of hurting folks out there. People are drowning in sin and fear and confusion. You know that. You SEE that. These folks are your friends and neighbors, your family. We don’t have to go LOOKING for people who need a Savior. We just need to throw out a lifeline to the people around us who are already calling out for help. Cause that’s what it means to fish for people.